The present invention relates to drop-out detector circuits, and in particular to a drop-out detector circuit in devices for playing back recorded data which digitize a high-frequency signal read from a recording medium.
In the prior art, playback devices for recorded data, for example, disc players that play video discs pre-recorded with FM-modulated image signals, usually make use of an analog system for processing the FM image signals read from the disc.
However, in view of the increased use of integrated circuits, there are many advantages in using digital rather than analog processing, and in order to enable greater functional diversity in the processing of signals and to achieve better picture quality, the applicant has already proposed (see Japanese Patent Application No. 60-280711) a playback device for recorded data which digitally processes signals read from a disc.
However, in a playback device for recorded data such as a video disc player, the presence of dirt or damage to the recording medium causes gaps, i.e., drop-out, in the signal read from the recording medium, and it is necessary to detect and compensate for these drop-outs.